Signs to look for during your job interview

Right after a job interview, you're going to feel pretty relieved that it's all over and either confident that you did well or worried that you bombed. It's common for job seekers to go over the job interview questions that they went through and the answers they gave, and note any other small things during the interview - but how do you really know whether or not you did well? Check out these 6 points below and you'll have a better understanding of whether or not your job interview went well.

1. They give you a firm answer about when you’ll hear back.

This is not a foolproof indicator, but it’s a good one none the less. You don’t want to hear, “We’ll let you know.” You don’t want to have to ask, “When, exactly?” If they say, “I’ll have an answer for you on Monday morning,” that usually means they’ve made a decision. The decision might not be for you, but at least they’ve made a decision. This is sort of like a poker tell… if someone hasn’t made up their mind yet, they don’t really know how long it will take to do so, and thus are evasive about estimating how long it might take to make up their mind. If the interviewer gives you a vague answer, that might mean that there are plenty more interviews scheduled and your interview performance was not enough to make them cancel the others.

2. You covered topics beyond the job description.

A good interview is one where you handily answer all their questions, clearly demonstrate that you can meet all the job requirements, AND THEN start to discuss all the other things you can bring to the job. You win the job by using the interview to convince them that hiring you will bring them all sorts of additional dividends they didn’t even expect.

3. The interview went longer than scheduled.

This one is logical enough. If you’re in and out in a hurry, you might not have struck their fancy. But if you hang out for a while shooting the breeze (especially if you hit point number 4 below, that’s a good sign.